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Eckes Lengthens Points Lead with Top-10 Result at Charlotte
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By Counterman
The highly anticipated Race to Charlotte Sweepstakes, hosted by
link hidden, please login to view and link hidden, please login to view, came to a spectacular finish this October 10-14, as 20 lucky grand prize winners and their guests were treated to an unforgettable VIP racing weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. This spring promotion, which began in March 2024, awarded professional technicians and shop owners across the country with the chance to win an exclusive NASCAR racing experience. Forty guests kicked off their weekend with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at a performance racing team. The tour offered an insider’s glimpse into the high-octane world of professional racing. The evening continued with an exclusive dinner at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where winners dined among the legends and history of the sport and participated in a collection of interactive racing simulations.
The highlight of the weekend was a VIP race day experience at the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the race this past Sunday, according to
link hidden, please login to view. Winners enjoyed a heart-pounding day at the track, viewing the race from a unique vantage point that brought them closer to the action than ever before. Pit and garage tours, customized swag, and autographed driver memorabilia helped to make the race day experience even more rewarding. Reflecting on the experience, Kevin Benton from The Merrill Co., Benton Auto Repair in Fort Dodge, Iowa, shared, “It was an awesome trip! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Everything was fantastic; the Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper staff were so hospitable and made it the trip of a lifetime. Everywhere we visited was great, but the race itself was something else—an amazing experience from top to bottom. I know we all appreciated the team from Valvoline being with us and hosting us on race day; such a great group of people.”
In addition to the grand prize, 150 other winners received cash prizes, contributing to a total of $25,000 in additional cash prizes, which added even more excitement to the sweepstakes. Entries were earned with every qualifying $150 invoice from Auto Value or Bumper to Bumper parts suppliers, with bonus entries awarded to MyPlace4Parts users for purchases made through the platform.
“The partnership with the entire Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper family is incredibly important to the team at Valvoline Global,” said Scott Street, sales director at Valvoline. “Having this collection of professional shop owners and technicians with us here in Charlotte has been remarkable, and we were delighted to host them this week. Celebrating and spending time together like this is invaluable and only cements our lasting partnership.”
As the checkered flag drops on this year’s Race to Charlotte Sweepstakes, Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper said they are already gearing up for their next big promotion, promising more opportunities for professional technicians to win big.
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in ninth and stage two in third as his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed on the long run. In the final stage, Elliott continued to battle inside the top 10 and advanced to third before the checkered flag waved. With the third-place result, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the driver points standings lead by eight markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five effort, seventh of the season and 100th of his young Cup career. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team earned a ninth-place starting position for Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The 28-year-old driver initially lost some ground to the leaders upon the drop of the green flag and was scored in 11th at the time of the first caution of the race on lap five. Under the yellow, Elliott reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was loose. Staying out, he lined up 11th for the restart on lap 10 and made his way back up to ninth by lap 41. As a long run ensued Elliott continued to gain ground, advancing to seventh before an incident brought out the caution. He relayed that he “overbuilt the right rear.” Once pit road opened, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for four fresh tires and fuel. A fast stop gained the driver of the No. 9 a position on pit road, however two cars did not pit which put him eighth for the lap-59 restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage two, Elliott was scored in the ninth position.
During the stage break the team opted not to visit pit road, placing Elliott as the fifth driver to choose his lane to start the second stage. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native took the green flag from the inside of row two on lap 78. He continued to battle inside the top five until another caution slowed the race at lap 81. Staying out once again, Elliott lined up in the second row for the lap-87 restart. Getting loose, he dropped to seventh but found his way back inside the top five prior to lap 100. Showing speed on the long run, Elliott advanced to third on lap 130 and took over the second position less than 20 laps later. He set his sights on the leader and began reeling in the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney as green flag stops got under way. Elliott paced the field for one lap after Blaney made his way to pit road before he followed suit on lap 173. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott returned to the track in 18th and was up to seventh as the pit cycle continued. When the caution came out on lap 182, the teams that still needed to pit made their stops. This put Elliott third in the running order. Once the race was back under way, he held his own inside the top five, finishing the stage in the third position.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott pitted for four tires and fuel. He lined up sixth to start the final stage on lap 219. Just one lap later, an incident brought out the caution. Elliott chose the outside of row four for the lap-228 restart. From there, the 2020 Cup Series champion maneuvered his way to fourth before the yellow flag was displayed on lap 260. Providing feedback to his crew that the NAPA Chevy was a little tight, the team made an air-pressure adjustment during its four-tire pit stop. Elliott was fifth to choose his lane, opting for the outside of row four for the restart on lap 267. He progressed to fifth by lap 272 and continued to climb, advancing to third before the checkered flag waved.
The result was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five effort, seventh of the season and 100th of his young Cup career. With the third-place result, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the driver points standings lead by eight markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
“Our balance was just right, and I thought all day we had really good long run pace,” Elliott said. “I just really struggled to get going on restarts and just was really loose and just felt like I couldn’t attack like I needed to and just lost a lot of ground. Could make good pace there at the end of a run with our NAPA Chevy, just needed to be a little closer I think to keep the pressure on and keep things rolling. Anyway, I was proud of the effort and felt like we had a really good car and were right there in the fight.”
Start / Finish: 9 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 591 pts. (+8)
Next Race: Sunday, June 23, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN or SiriusXM
NAPA:
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By NAPA
Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team had an exciting and eventful week of racing starting in Lincoln, NE, before continuing on to Knoxville Raceway in Iowa to compete with the World of Outlaws. On Tuesday, June 11th, Sweet arrived at Eagle Raceway to vie for the $50,000-to-win Bikini Zone Eagle Nationals. The day began with a special visit to the local Lincoln NAPA Auto Parts store, where Sweet had the pleasure of meeting store owner Randy Sell, his employees, and VIP customers. Following the private meet-and-greet, the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 team hosted 30 guests from the Lincoln NAPA store at the track for an evening of high-energy sprint car racing.
To start off the competition, Sweet qualified ninth in Flight A with a time of 11.661 seconds. Setting the lineup for Heat Race action, the NAPA No.49 made an impressive move from fifth to third. The evening’s feature was a showcase of Sweet’s skill as he surged from 13th to finish in the runner-up position. The NAPA driver gave leader Kyle Larson no room to spare, and his impressive advance thrilled the crowd and made for a wildly entertaining race.
As a result of his strong showing, Sweet extended his lead in the points standings. He now holds 1,612 points, maintaining a 76-point lead over the second-place competitor Tyler Courtney.
With a scheduled off weekend from the High Limit Racing Series, Sweet and the KKR team opted to gain extra track time by heading to Knoxville Raceway to compete with the World of Outlaws. The visit to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” allowed the team some extra preparation ahead of the Knoxville Nationals in August.
On Friday, June 14th, Sweet and the team took a chance on testing set-ups before the big dance in August. The Big Cat qualified 12th in Flight B with a time of 16.390 seconds. In heat race competition, Sweet advanced from sixth to fifth, and in Friday night’s feature, he charged from 20th to 15th. The NAPA team still had one more chance to progress on their set-ups for Knoxville Raceway the following night.
Saturday night proved to be a night of redemption as Sweet continued to push the limits. Qualifying 10th in Flight B with a time of 16.306 seconds, the NAPA Auto Parts No.49 was on the move. Sweet went on to power through his heat race, finishing third after starting from fifth. In the final feature of the weekend, Sweet demonstrated his skills once again, climbing from 12th to finish ninth when the checkered flag dropped.
Start / Finish:
Tuesday, June 11, Eagle Raceway: 13 / 2
Friday, June 14, Knoxville Raceway: 20 /15
Saturday, June 15, Knoxville Raceway: 12 / 9
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,612 pts. (+76)
Next Race: Wednesday, June 19, Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD
How to Watch or Listen:
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By NAPA
Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team were poised to take on a busy week of High Limit Racing action, but Tuesday night’s event at Davenport Speedway in Iowa was rained out. That left two nights at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo., on the schedule, and an opportunity for Sweet and the NAPA team to showcase their skills to fans and competitors alike. At the Rayce Rudeen Foundation event opener Friday night at I-70, Sweet posted the sixth-quickest time overall in qualifying with a lap of 13.768 seconds on the half-mile dirt oval. The Big Cat then dominated his heat race, taking the checkered flag and securing his spot in the FK Rod Ends Dash. With the help of his daughter Savannah, Sweet drew the third starting spot for the seven-lap dash to set the field for the evening’s feature. The NAPA driver held his ground to finish third, then lined up third for the feature. Sweet was able to pick up a spot in Friday’s main event. He crossed the line in the runner-up position.
On Saturday night, Sweet was already locked into heat race competition thanks to his podium finish on Friday. The NAPA No. 49 was second across the line after starting fourth in the heat race. Sweet kept the energy level high in Saturday’s dash and finished third. The NAPA team went on to battle hard against tough competition in the main event. After a late-race caution, Sweet spun the tires on the restart and fell back to fifth. He maintained that position when the checkered flag flew.
Despite the rain-out at Davenport, Sweet and the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 team extended their points lead with the runner-up and top-five finishes. Sweet now leads the standings with a solid, 65-point advantage over second place. Eagle Raceway, a favorite from the 2023 season, is next on the schedule with a $55,000-to-win event.
Start / Finish:
Friday, June 7: 3 / 2
Saturday, June 8: 3 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,540 pts. (+65)
Next Race: Tuesday, June 11, Eagle Raceway, Eagle, Nebraska
How to Watch or Listen:
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By NAPA
Brad Sweet is back on top of the High Limit Racing points standings after three events in three different states in the past week. The
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team powered their way through Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan to build up a 16-point lead over second-place Tyler Courtney. Sweet started strong with a mid-week run at Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania. The No. 49 machine was quickest in Flight A qualifying with a lap time of 11.848 seconds. In his heat race, the Big Cat experienced a minor setback; he started fourth and dropped to fifth. Still, his strong qualifying result earned him a spot in the dash. In the seven-lap dash, Sweet drove from sixth to fourth. When the time came for the evening’s feature, the NAPA team showed their machine was competitive. Sweet rocketed from fourth to first, but after getting caught up in lapped traffic, the No. 49 tagged the wall. He then slipped back to his starting spot and finished fourth.
The Kasey Kahne Racing team moved on to Indiana, where Sweet faced a challenging qualifying round at Lawrenceburg Speedway as the first car to go out. A time of 12.712 seconds placed the NAPA team 12th overall, so Sweet knew it was crucial to gain spots ahead of the evening’s feature. He did just that in his heat race, moving from third to second, but missed the dash and transferred directly to the main event. Surging forward from his ninth-place starting spot, the NAPA driver climbed to just shy of a podium finish. Still, his fourth-place result put Sweet back on top of the High Limit Racing points race.
The final leg of the three-state swing brought the No. 49 team to Butler Speedway in Quincy, Michigan. The team’s skill was on full display from the start as Sweet posted a time of 12.781 seconds in qualifying, placing him second in Flight A. From there, the Big Cat continued to excel, moving forward from fourth to third in his heat race. Sweet drew the third spot to start the seven-lap dash, but he spun the tires on the start and finished one position back in fourth. In the Butler Speedway feature, Sweet bounced back. He advanced from fourth to second, then made a late-race charge on the final lap, setting up a photo finish. He missed the victory by just 0.063 seconds.
The team makes their way next to Davenport, Iowa, where mid-week High Limit Racing is set to continue.
Start / Finish:
Tuesday, May 28, Grandview Speedway: 4 / 4
Friday, May 31, Lawrenceburg Speedway: 9 / 4
Sunday, June 2, Butler Speedway: 4 / 2
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 1,405 pts. (+16)
Next Race: Tuesday, June 4, Davenport Speedway
How to Watch or Listen:
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